This invention relates in general to computer software, and in particular to a method and system for navigating from a day view to a month view in an electronic calendar utilizing fewer operator steps.
Users of graphical user interface electronic calendars typically and frequently need to switch views from a given date to another date. Most frequently the new date is in the same year, but often in a different month. Most such calendars provide users with a xe2x80x98reference calendarxe2x80x99 to aid in navigation. As an example of using such a reference calendar, suppose a user is currently viewing calendar information for Jan. 12, 1999. Suppose he now wants to view Sep. 8, 1999. In today""s calendaring systems, the user would need to first navigate to the new month (typically by repeatedly clicking the left mouse button on a xe2x80x98forwardxe2x80x99 arrow , so to go from January to September would require 8 clicks) and then click on the new day of the month.
What is needed is an alternative method which allows the user to first specify the day of the month, then the month itself.
Selecting a desired day and month in an electronic calendaring system is enabled by the present invention. A user selects a number representing the desired day from a calendar displayed by the electronic calendaring system. The user is then automatically presented with a list of all the months of a year. The user then selects the desired month from the list, and the user is presented with a visual representation of the desired day and month. The user may select the number representing the desired day by right clicking with a pointing device. Additionally, the automatic presentation of a list of all the months of a year may comprise presenting the user with a pop-up menu.